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Regarding the July 10 Metro article “Biking advocates worry trail too close to traffic”:
My 2-year-old son took some of his first steps on the path behind my townhome, under the canopy of trees that surround my yard. We will lose this wooded space in the Interstate 66 expansion. I hope the cyclists will appreciate their new bike lane and not push to have one that further disrupts my home and my neighbors’ right to peace, quiet and privacy.
This is a wonderful neighborhood for children to grow up in. Let’s keep it that way.
Jackie Tortora, Vienna

I put this in the on-line comments:

Ms. Tortora - The people who ride bikes and walk, and your neighbors and friends who might use this trail, are not asking for any additional trees or anything else to be destroyed. The total enormous width of I-66 will not change. No additional trees or space will be appropriated. All these people are asking is that the sound wall be moved a little farther away from your house and the trail placed on the side of the wall where you and your neighbors and children and dogs can use it. Perhaps the people who may someday buy your house will use this new trail to take their young child out for a walk, something that is unimaginable if the trail were inside the sound wall adjacent to 10 lanes of highway traffic.

It's pretty hard (impossible?) to overcome the cognitive dissonance that focuses on the noise and disruption of pedestrians and cyclists on a MUP and completely disregards the cars on the roads on both sides of the house--because the cars are "normal" and the pedestrians and cyclists are "not normal". If a sensible trail is installed on the correct side of the sound wall, it will become normal and thus a dead issue. The only way forward has nothing to do with convincing the residents that opposing a trail as a nuisance is silly, and everything to do with convincing the politicians that the level of constituent annoyance over the stupid trail design exceeds the level of annoyance from fixing it.

But reading the tea leaves, I'd say VDOT doesn't care, and we're going to get a crappy trail. Don't want to hold up progress.

Unfortunately, my Senator and Delegate were not among the signers - I guess I'll pick up the phone to find out if they were aware of the letter and if they were, express my disappointment for not signing.

(EDIT) I sent the following to my State Senator and Delegate, who I identified by using this interactive map. Feel free to plagiarize:

Dear Senator/Delegate X,

I am writing to draw your attention to a letter drafted by Senator Scott Surovell and signed by 18 of your colleagues in the Senate and House of Delegates strongly opposing VDOT's current proposal to place a multiuse trail inside the sound barrier on a portion of the planned expansion of I-66, as reported in the Washington Post on August 17. The letter explains in detail the many problems with the proposed approach, as summed up by the following quote: “I-66 Trail users will be closely sandwiched between a sound wall and traffic exposing them to concentrated quantities of car exhaust, noise pollution and road debris.”

I urge you join your colleagues in opposing this proposal in its current state. Trail users, whether they are on foot or on bicycles, deserve trails that are separated and sheltered from the noise, pollution and hazards freeway traffic poses.

"I saw a copy of a joint letter on the I-66 bike lanes signed by a number of Senators and Delegates (dated 11 August). While the letter was signed by Senators McPike, Favola, Howell, Wexton, Surovell, and Marsden; I didn't see your signature.

Now that you have received information from VDOT, can you please share your position on the bike lane along I-66, specifically the VDOT concept of putting the lane inside the sound wall?

If you think that is a sound strategy, please provide the basis for your decision.